The Great Journey
by tinytim12
Summary: A squad of zealots land on Reach, ready to carry out orders for the Covenant. But conflicting ideas, divided loyalty and Noble team will make their task all the harder. The Battle of Reach, told from the Elite's perspective.
1. Winter Contingency

'For the blood of our fathers,'

The marine screamed as the blade of energy slid into his flesh, tearing his body in two. Vora Oracee swept his blade back, its edge red, and plunged it into another marine.

'For the blood of our sons,'

Next to him, Jano Huzamee was slaughtering humans like cattle, swinging his sword here and there. Screams filled the air as soldiers tried to escape their inevitable death.

'For the sake of the Covenant.'

Kraz, the third zealot in the group, was firing his concussion rifle in rapid bursts. The control panels behind the cowering humans exploded in giant, electric bursts.

'For the Great Journey!'

The last elite, Yar Garvonee, vented off the heat in his plasma repeater as he booted the final marine in the head, crushing his skull. Now the only wretched creature left in the room was a wizened old man, in white clothes. Yar felt a pang of sympathy for the old man – he was about to die a very painful death, reserved, only for cowards.

Vora Oracee, who was the undisputed leader of the group, having attained the rank of field marshall, strode forward and planted his sword into the man's stomach, and held it there.

'Die, wretched heretic!' Kraz screamed, firing his concussion rifle into the ceiling for no apparent reason. Die!'

It was typical of Kraz to become all excited over the death of a human. Yar sighed and turned away from the grisly scene. Finally, after a full minute, the old man stiffened and died.

Vora withdrew his sword and growled, 'Start the search.'

'For what?' Jano Huzamee groaned. 'There's nothing here.'

'Idiot!' Kraz emitted a honking laugh. 'Don't you see that back door – '

'Watch your tongue,' Jano snapped. He cast a dark look at Kraz.

'Silence,' Vora said. Everyone quietened down immediately. 'Kraz, Jano, go into the back room and take a look around.'

Jano grumbled, but eventually they proceeded into the darkened room. Vora turned his beady, judgemental eyes towards Yar, who instinctively shivered. Yar was the newest zealot of the group, and for months he had wondered whether he had deserved it. Vora's eyes accusing eyes only made his guilt worse.

'I understand, Yar,' Vora said.

'Sorry, sir?'

'I saw it in your eyes. You feel sympathy for the humans.'

Yar wasn't quite sure what to say. Both of them stood silent for a while, then Vora continued.

'The only reason I am not going to strip you of that rank right now, Yar,' Vora murmured with a voice that could slice steel, 'is because all your traits combined make you a more worthy zealot than those fools down there. And also because...I was like that once.'

Yar had never known Vora to discuss his personal life, so he kept his mouth shut, not knowing whether it was safe to speak.

'But than I realised, Yar, that petty things like sympathy for our enemies is insignificant. What matters is the Great Journey. I hope you understand that.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Now, go. You may leave. I shall give you some time to sort out your faith.'

Somewhat dumbstruck, Yar holstered his weapon and walked past all the bodies of slain marines. He didn't look back.

'One more thing, Yar,' Vora called out. 'If you ever disappoint me again...'

'It won't happen, sir.' Yar said, and then disappeared.

* * *

Jano was hot and tired. Under his armour, he was sweating. And the fact that Kraz was constantly getting on his nerves wasn't helping.

Kraz had become a zealot through his fanatical devotion to the Great Journet. Jano would have thought that Kraz was _too_ fanatical.

'Come on, brother!' Kraz was cheerfully shouting. 'If we find artifacts, it would been greater ascension in our journey!'

'Shut your mouth!' Jano muttered. He had long since grown to hate this life, this strict routine that did not give you any freedom. Great Journey? He had once believed in that, but frankly, Jano was beginning to think it was a load of rubbish.

_I will get my chance, _he thought. If the other zealots, Vora Oracee especially, knew his thoughts, he would be immediately be put to death as a heretic. That was what scared him. There was only one way out of his miserable life.

He had to escape from the Covenant. But how? That question had followed him for many years.

He saw Vora appear in the doorway and froze. The field marshall wasn't able to read minds, but nevertheless he was an imposing presence.

'Hey sir!' Kraz hollered. 'How – '

In a flash, Vora darted forward, tackling Kraz to the ground. Jano started in surprise, and his commander turned his head to him, putting a finger to his lips.

And that was when Jano heard voices outside. Humans.

He quickly activated his translator, and overheard their conversation.

A female voice. 'Damn. Plasma damage.'

Another voice, male this time. 'Found something.'

'I'll take that, Six. Not your domain.'

Jano was wondering why Vora didn't give the command to engage those fragilr humans right then and there. But then a figure walked into his view, and Jano understood.

They were Spartans.

'Surprise them,' Vora whispered.

'Sir!' Kraz hissed. 'That's...that's...too sneaky!'

'I will not endanger the lives of my squad. On my mark.'

Jano groaned, and activated his energy sword.

'Go.'

Vora jumped out of the room, the two zealots followed. Jano saw exactly six Spartans framed in the dim lighting of the place.

_Six of them? That's insane!_

Vora charged forward, his whole body lighting up as the whole team fired at him. Damn, they were quick. So much for a surprise attack. Vora swung his sword at the big Spartan, missed, and then pounced on the two Spartans by the control panel. They ducked, and the blade sliced through the machinery instead.

Just then, Vora's shields collapsed with a loud snap. Roaring, the marshall barged past all off them, knocking a grey soldier down in the process, and disappeared through another door.

Jano almost faltered in his charge. He had never, ever, known his commander to do something as so cowardly as this. But then again, Vora hadn't been that close to death before.

These Spartans were no idle threat.

Jano, with that in mind, went for the Spartan still lying on the ground. All the concepts of honour and respect that he had been brought up with disappeared in an instant. All he thought about was that he didn't want to die while still a damn zealot.

His sword jabbed down, but the damned Spartan stopped the blade by smacking away Jano's arm. His other hand flew up and punched Jano right across the face.

'Curse you!' Jano roared, ignoring the blood flowing into his mouth. 'You will not kill me today, human!'

He was roughly pushed off by one in dark blue armour. The next thing he knew, pistol rounds were being emptied into his shield. Panicking, Jano backed away, and struggled to get up.

Suddenly the humans stopped firing. Jano looked up, and understood why. Kraz had grabbed one marine that they had not killed, and was using him as a hostage. It was even stranger that Kraz would do something as dishonourable as that, but Jano didn't care. He scrambled over to Kraz and stood up, feeling the comfortable click of his shield recharging.

Slowly, still holding the screaming, half alive marine, Kraz backed into the room they had leapt out from, Jano following. The Spartans, with their guns pointing at him, disappeared behind walls.

He could still hear them.

'That tango blew past me. Permission to persue?'

'Negative, Four. Stay on the entrance. Two, handle her. Five and Six, clear the hole.'

They were coming.

Kraz slit the throat of the marine. For once he didn't seem talkative. Both of them moved deeper into the room, wordlessly seeking cover from the onslaught they knew was coming.

_You will not kill me now, Spartan, _Jano thought furiously, tightening his grip on the sword. _I still have much to do._


	2. ONI: Sword Base

Yar was sitting on a rock, enjoying the warm of the sun. He was thinking, in a period of deep meditation.

Then a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Yar nearly fell off. He whirled round to see the sweaty face of his commander Vora Oracee.

'Six Spartans. Back there,' Vora panted, gesturing in the direction he had come running from. 'You were lucky they missed you. Come. I already called in a Phantom to pick us up.'

'W-wait,' Yar hopped off the rock, still disorientated from the interruption. 'Shouldn't we try to fight them?' A sudden chill struck him. 'jano? Kraz? Where are they? Where they killed?'

'No. They're still fighting them. Come, Yar! There is no time!'

Yar suddenly found himself unable to move. Everything was just happening too fast. First, the commander of his squad whom he had admired and respected, had just run from battle. And he was leaving his comrades behind.

'Yar...' Vora's face looked pained, which was yet another first. 'Remember our orders.'

'Our loyalty is to our brethren, not the prophets!'

'Yar,' Vora said firmly. 'We came here for a reason. To find the holy artifacts that our glorious ancestors left behind. Just before you left, I have unearthed this.'

He took out a small, flat white disc. Yar looked at doubtfully.

'Our faith...our belief in the Great Journey must transcend anything. We need to get this artefact back to the Covenant at all costs.'

Yar understood the logic, but wasn't happy about it. But what could he do?

'Yes sir. I agree,' he lied.

Just then, the hum of an approaching Phantom cruiser reached them.

* * *

Jano spotted the object rolling by his feet, cursed and dodged to one side just as it exploded. His shields collapsed, a piece of shrapnel embedded itself into his thigh. Cursing, he rolled behind cover.

Kraz fell back beside him, his whole armour stained with blood.

The truth finally began to dawn on Jano. Both of them were not going to get out of here alive. This was it. This was the end.

He turned to Kraz. 'I hate you, you cretin.'

Kraz chuckled, incapable of fear due to his insanity. 'Fret not, brother! He will come to save us.'

'Who?'

'Our glorious commander!' Kraz reloaded his weapon calmly, as if it was just another ordinary day where they weren't about to be killed. 'He didn't abandon us. There's a reason why he told us to act dishonourable. He has a plan.'

'No he does not.' But still, a faint flicker of hope rose in Jano's heart, extinguished immediately when he peered out from his cover. He saw _him. _There were two Spartans who had pursued them, but the big one wasn't much of a threat. It was the grey one, the one he had very nearly killed. The grey Spartan was the smartest of them all, the most deadly fighter he had ever encountered. Near perfect aim, expert tactical thinking...he was the deadliest of them all.

Jano hated that grey human with all his heart.

'On three,' Kraz was saying.

Jano whirled on him, his frustration spilling out like a volcano. 'A thousand hells on you, you accursed worm. Can't you see we are doomed?'

He gripped his sword. He was going to die, of that Jano was certain, but the question was, what to do with that knowledge?

'One.' Kraz ploughed on.

Rage suddenly surged through Jano's body.

'Two.'

Suddenly a liberating feeling flowed through his veins, as if an invisible weight had been lifted off his body. Yes.

'Three!' Kraz shouted joyfully. 'For the Great Journey – '

'Curse the journey!' roared Jano, spearing Kraz through the heart.

A moment later, he was blasted in the back by a shotgun. Jano Huzamee, damned heretic, was gone seconds later.

* * *

Yar looke down, seeing but not comprehending. As the trees flash past, all he could think about were Kraz and Jano. In his heart, he knew they were both probably dead.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice when the Phantom landed. He felt a tap on his shoulder and hopped off the Phantom, in front of a human structure.

Yar frowned. 'Where are we?'

'You underestimate the might of the Covenant. They have already taken over this base.'

Several Unggoy walked into their view, and upon, seeing them, jumped to attention. As the two zealots proceeded further into the facility, Covenant species of various races, even fellow Sangheili, went out of their way to salute when they passed.

All this attention made Yar extremely uncomfortable. He hung his head. He didn't deserve this. None of them did.

When they reached the courtyards, they finally saw two other zealots, who walked over to greet them.

The first one was Tene Ursulee, probably the only female zealot in history. Behind her was an sangheili simply known as N. There were many rumours about N, but all anyone knew for sure was that he didn't talk and followed Tene everywhere like a loyal dog.

'Sir,' Tene bowed respectfully. 'I had received word that you found a forerunner artefact.'

'That is correct,' Vora said without any real enthusiasm. 'Have you informed the prophets?'

'Go right on in,' Tene indicated a door. 'Gled wants to speak to you.'

Vora, with the white disc that his two comrades had died for held tightly in his hand, walked towards the doors without another word. They opened, and closed behind him.

Yar was left alone, in awkward silence. He didn't know the other two zealots personally, so he turned away, to continue his musings.

'Wait,' Tene said.

Yar stopped.

'About your commander. Vora Oracee.' She was regarding him with cautious eyes. 'What's he like?'

Yar shrugged. 'I'd never had a more competent leader. But that's what everyone says.'

A loud snort interrupted him. Yar turned his head to see a rather scrawny Jiralhanae chieftain walked past them, holding his head up high. Tene started to say something, but Yar held his hand up. It wasn't worth starting a fight here, in a war zone.

'Anyway, why the question? Do you doubt him?'

'The exact opposite, Yar. I absolutely idolize him. I only just wish he would have been my commander.'

'From what I hear, Gled isn't too bad either.'

Tene rolled her eyes. 'Gled has no faith. Vora Oracee is the most devoted Sangeili I have ever seen. He spends hours researching our ancestors.'

Yar thought about Kraz, and then shrugged again. Everyone had their different opinions. 'Sorry, but I have to go. Meditation.'

'Crisis of faith?'

'Yeah, something like that.'

To his surprise, instead of sneering, which was what Jano or Kraz would have done, Tene nodded. 'You will find your way eventually. Good luck.'

The conversation was finished. She turned her back, and walked deeper into the courtyard. Yar stared after her, then realised N was staring back at him. Yar had entirely forgotten about him.

'Greetings,' he said politely, not knowing what else to do.

N gave him a single, almost invisible nod, and then turned his back, leaving Yar to figure out things on his own.

* * *

Gled Fatomee was the only other field marshall assigned to the attack on Reach, and also the only other Sangheili Vora actually respected. When he went into the small conference room, a video screen that had used to belong to the humans lighted up. Gled's face appeared.

'How are things on the Corvette, Brother?' Vora asked.

'Never better. Cease the small talk . I understand you have found a Forerunner artefact.'

Vora placed the disc on the table. Even in the dim lighting, it seemed to shine.

'Where did you find it?'

'The humans had kept it in a locked box.'

'Interesting...it may not be much of a stretch if we assume they know about our religion and are working to hide those sacred relics from us.'

'I don't think that's likely, Gled.'

'Leaving that matter aside...I heard you encountered a group of Spartans. Apparently they were so dangerous that you deemed it necessary to flee.'

Vora looked down, ignoring the deep feeling in his chest. 'The prophets orders were to – '

'I am not judging you, Vora. I'm just...commenting,' Gled looked at him cryptically. 'Anyway, I have contacted the Prophets. In a few minutes a Phantom will arrive to receive it, and we will being it up to the Supercarrier for inspection.'

Now that the official business out of the way, Vora had one burning question to ask. 'Do you know anything of this team of Spartans?'

'Yes. As a matter of fact, we picked up a stray Unggoy which witnessed the entire battle between the Spartans and your zealots.'

Vora moved nearer. 'And what did it see?'

'There was only one Spartan who killed them singlehandedly. A one in grey. He tricked Jano into stabbing Kraz and then killed Jano.'

Refreshing anger replaced the cold feeling inside Vora. 'And did it catch the grey one's name?'

'Yes. They called him Six.'

'Six...'Vora mused. He thought of his energy sword slicing through flesh. 'I hope to meet him _very _soon.'


	3. Nightfall

A low hum of a Phantom's engines disrupted Yar's thoughts. By right, he shouldn't be hearing any from the fairly soundproof room he had found, but the fact that its engines were loud indicated it was something special.

His curiosity got the better of him and he walked out. The Phantom that had landed had a dark blue strip running through it, indicating it was one designed for transporting high priority items. Yar could guess what it was.

The Phantom's only occupant, a Kig-Yar pilot, poked its head out. 'Me take relic,' it gibbered.

Vora strode into the courtyard. He handed the Kig-Yar the disc, looked inside, and frowned. 'Only you?'

The Kig-Yar shrugged. 'They overstaffed.'

Yar thought about Tene's comment earlier, that her commander did not have that much faith in the Great Journey. Looked like it was true, Gled had not sent a proper escort to accompany the Forerunner artefact. Vora wouldn't be happy.

Vora wasn't. He spotted Tene and N lounging by the corner of the courtyard, and beckoned the male zealot over. 'Nox. Go with Yar, guard the relic until it reaches the Supercarrier.'

'Sir, Gled wants to me to – '

'The Great Journey transcends everything. Yar, you're up.' Vora nodded to Yar, pressing the disk in his hand, just as a new voice entered the fray.

'I'm afraid not.'

That voice, so arrogant and high pitched, came from a pack of Jiralhanae. Yar inwardly groaned as three of those beasts hulked into the scene. Two of them were Captains, one missing an eye, and the other with a dented helmet. The third Brute was a chieftain, and with a shock Yar recognised him as the skinny fellow who had interrupted him earlier.

'We will guard the relic, commander,' the Chieftain sneered, pronouncing the last word as if it was a joke. 'No need to trouble you, _sir.'_

Everyone present could sense the disrespect in the chieftain's voice. Tene bristled, and stepped forward. 'Show more respect, Jiralhanae.'

'Oh, too proud to address me by name? It's Carcarus, Sangheili. Remember that.'

Out of the corner of his eye, Yar could see Unggoy and Kig-Yar slowly backing away from the group. This wasn't good.

Tene crept closer, and Caracrus hefted his gravity hammer. In that instant, in the sudden, dead silence, there was a sharp hiss of an energy sword, and N was suddenly next to Carcarus, holding two blades to his neck.

Almost immediately both species had their weapons out. Yar hefted his plasma repeater in a kneejerk reaction, knowing vaguely that the whole situation was balancing on a prepice. One muscle jerk, on plasma bolt, would send everything in this base hurtling into chaos.

It was so quiet that Yar could hear N breathing heavily, itching to cut the brute's head open. And he might have, had Vora remained silent. But he was one of the Covenant's best commanders for a reason.

'Stand down, Nox,' he said sharply.

N didn't move a muscle. For a moment, Yar thought that N was just going to do it anyway, but slowly, impossibly, N put his swords down and backed away.

'Lower your weapons, all of you.'

No one moved a muscle.

'For the sake of Covenant, lower your weapons!

Yar heard the palpable anger in Vora's voice and holstered his weapon. The others saw this, and slowly followed suit.

Carcarus jabbed his finger at the Sangheili. 'Very nice and all, _sir, _but the fact remains – '

'You're going with it.'

Carcarus blinked. 'What?'

'You'll join Yar and Nox. Go on.'

'Isn't that what you wanted?' Tene chimed in.

Yar jumped into the Phantom, beckoning N to do the same. The two captains with Carcarus scowled, and looked to their leader for orders.

'Certainly, commander. I would be honoured. After all,' Carcarus walked to the Phantom and threw an arm over N. 'We're all friends here.'

N flinched, as if a slug had landed on his back, but thankfully didn't move. Carcarus grinned and climbed in next to them, followed by his two Jiralhanae lackeys. The hanger doors closed and the floor beneath Yar rumbled. Soon, they were off. Yar breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked down at the perfectly smooth disk in his hand. For some insane reason, he felt an urge to throw it away, destroy it. Instead he wrapped it in his hand, furious at his heretic thoughts. His fathers came to him, as it often did, berating him.

He was a zealot. That was who he was. He had no choice but to live up to it.

'Hey, squid-face,' Carcarus said.

'You talk like a human.'

'Thanks,' Carcarus displayed a yellow smile. 'I know I may be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but it's all a way of releasing stress. Once you get to know me, I'm really nice.'

Yar highly doubted that, but said nothing.

'Anyway, I see you're a bit under the weather. No worries. I'll cheer you up. Just like Jano Huzamee.'

Yar's head snapped round. 'You knew Jano?'

'Of course. And, it might interest you to know I knew him in the early days, back then where he was just any other loyal zealot.'

It was well-known that Jano Huzamee was one of the sleaziest and unfaithful zealots in the entire Covenant, but there had been rumours that he wasn't like that in the beginning. Yar leaned forward eagerly, trying to ignore the stench of Carcarus's armpits.

N suddenly growled, as if to say, 'Carcarus is fooling you.'

'Think what you want, but I did know Jano. Let me put it this way...there is something _interesting _aboard the Supercarrier up there. When I show you it, you'll understand.'

Carcarus was being maddeningly vague. And yet, somehow, Yar believed he actually was hiding something important.

'What are you trying to say, Carcarus?'

The Jiralhanae winked at him. 'Patience. I'll show you, in good time. You look like the type who can handle it.'

N growled again, and walked towards the side of the Phantom. There was a tiny window located at the side of the wall, and N peered down, uttering a soft, moaning noise.

Yar thought about the Supercarrier above them, and shivered for no apparent reason. He had the distant feeling that he was heading into the lion's den.

* * *

Tene watched the Phantom disappear into the sky, and sighed. She was already missing N. Turning to Vora, she said, 'You handled that well, sir.'

'You did too,' Vora replied. 'Now if, you'll excuse me...' he paused, and hesitated. 'Are you free right now?'

'Now that N's gone, yes.' Her face lit up with alarm as she realised what she had said. 'Not meaning to offend you, sir – '

'Of course not. I just want someone to meditate with me.'

'On what?'

'The death of my comrades.'

Kraz and Jano were possibly the two most annoying zealots in the history of the Covenant, but Tene didn't mention that fact. She looked into Vora's inscrutable eyes, and nodded.

'Thank you. Now – '

A squawk of a jackal split the air, shattering the tranquil moment. Both of them immediately snapped into combat positions.

'What was that?' Tene hissed.

'Could be a false alarm...' Vora scanned the courtyard, looking at the various Covenant species that were looking around in alarm. And then suddenly, an Unggoy collapsed in a spray of blood, a bullet buried in its head.

Several squads of marines charged into the base, their guns blazing. Kig-Yar failed to activate their shields in time, and perished in a mass of writhing bodies.

Now humans were swarming all over the courtyard, on the upper levels, and even behind them. Tene began to feel the first vestiges of panic.

* * *

Vora saw Spartans among the attacking humans, and without knowing it, searched for anyone in grey armour. He wasn't here, but they were being attacked, nevertheless.

A barrage of projectiles slammed into his back, and he twisted round. A contingent of marines had been sneaking up on them from behind. He activated his energy sword and started slicing and dicing, Tene providing covering fire with her concussion rifle. Within minutes, all of them were dead.

'What should we do, sir?' asked Tene, looking at him with a kind of awe.

'Fight, of course,' Vora looked back, and saw that his Sangheili brethren were already launching a counterattack. Roaring, he leapt into the battlefield.

After a full five minutes, he lost count of how many he killed. All he knew was that there were humans, and he needed to take care of them. The crackled of plasma and the rattle of bullets constantly stung his ears. When his sword struck down the last marine, there was a brief reprieve as all fell silent. Vora stood there, trying to catch his breath, just as a Spartan clad in yellow armour rose up.

In his hands he held a grenade launcher, which he fired twice. Two Majors beside Vora were killed instantly, blown off their feet. Roaring in anger, Vora charged at him, but faltered as a grenade exploded in his face. He rolled to the side as a second one flew past him.

He darted behind cover, but a third grenade bounced off a wall and hit him square in the chest. Vora stumbled backwards, his shields gone now. The Spartan rushed into view, ready for the kill.

Tene rushed forward, her shields already flickering. The Spartan let loose a final grenade. Tene leaped, caught it in mid-air, closed her fist around it and brought it down on the ground.

'No!' yelled Vora, but it was too late. The grenade exploded. Vora hurled his sword, and it went right through the Spartan's chest. Vora ignored him. Images of Kraz and Jano swirled in his mind as he turned to look at Tene. He blinked.

She was perfectly intact, her whole body encased in a glowing blue light. She unlocked her armour with a loud click, and turned to look at Varo wearily.

'Be less reckless next time,' Varo said sharply, glancing left and right for more opponents. 'I would have survived it.'

'If the Covenant loses Vora Oracee,' replied Tene, moving up to cover him, 'what would become of it?'

A surviving Sangheili Minor rushed up to them, giving a hurried bow before opening his mouth. 'My brothers, we have been ordered to retreat.'

'What! We are fleeing?'

'Prophet's orders, mam. We are falling back to the Spire.'

Vora growled. 'You heard him. Let us proceed.'

The two of them sprinted towards the back of the base, where all the vehicles had been kept. Already the Phantoms were lifting high up into the sky, and zooming across the landscape. Vora picked out a Revenant and climbed into the driver's seat, and turned his head to see the battle in front of him. Yes, it appeared the humans were winning, at least, for now. They were swarming all over the base like ants.

He fired the plasma cannon repeatedly to cover his brethen's retreat, al the while thinking that this was a tactical manoeuvre, not a retreat. If he kept telling himself that, it would get him at least a little sleep tonight. At least he wasn't abandoning any comrades this time.

As soon as every single Covenant member had reached a vehicle, Vora turned the Revenant around and hit the boost lever, narrowly avoiding a rocket that slammed into the ground behind him. The base now belonged to the humans again – and that familiar hate for those wretched heretics rose up in him.

Tene had jumped in beside him. 'Are you alright, sir?'

'Never better,' Vora steered the Revenant towards the general direction of the Spire. 'I cannot wait to be done with this accursed planet.'


	4. Tip of the Spear

'You ready?' Carcarus asked.

Yar nodded. 'Yes.'

His mind flashed back to when he first landed on the Supercarrier, which had been aptly named the Long Night of Solace. Gled Fatomee, the second Field Marshall, greeted them personally.

'I'll take that,' he said, holding out his hand, and Yar placed the disc on his open palm.

'It seems Vora thought it prudent to send an escort,' Gled continued. His eyes swept over Carcarus, who was defiantly staring back at him. 'An interesting choice.'

'Should I take my leave now, sir?'

'Actually – no. It so happens I need Tene now, but seeing as she;s halfway to the Spire as we speak, you'll do.'

'Hey, how about me, _sir?' _interjected Carcarus. 'And my subordinates? I'm sure we could find some use aboard the ship.'

He winked at Yar, who instantly felt like he was being used, manipulated. But it was good to have a few extra pair of hands. And, besides, what harm could Carcarus and his two captains do on a ship full of Sangheili?

'They're with me, sir,' Yar said.

Gled briefly nodded. 'I'm trusting you to keep them in line, Yar. Now, let me show you around. The _Solace _has taken heavy fire by one of the human's ships, and...'

So, a week and a bit later, Yar found himself aboard the Supercarrier, performing various tasks for the crew inside. Once, he was asked to give a sermon, but he politely declined. And, all this time, he kept asking Carcarus the same question.

'What is it that's so important on the ship?'

So far as Yar could see, there was nothing unusual about the _Solace. _Carcarus kept insisting, a strange light in his eyes, that the mysterious thing that was aboard this ship had changed Jano Huzamee forever, from loyal zealot to disgruntled soldier. But he refused to tell Yar what it was, until 'the right time'.

Once, on one of these conversations, N had been present, and had snorted loudly. So far Yar hadn't seen much of him, not knowing what N did aboard the ship, but the rare occasions that Yar had seen him, N was to be found looking from the ship's window, staring at Reach. Ordinarily Yar would have dismissed this as homesickness, but since Reach obviously wasn't a Sangheili planet he was mystified of what N could be thinking.

Carcarus and his two Jiralhanae Captains caused little trouble, to Yar's surprise, and he wondered whether they were planning something. They soon faded out of his mind, only to return one day, when he was present at the bridge.

Vora's face crackled in the video screen. 'My brother, I am afraid that the humans have discovered the Spire.'

Gled's face didn't move a muscle. 'Well, then defend it.'

'Maybe we can request your assistance attacking the ground fleet. The Spire can render your vessel cloaked. I'm sorry to be pulling the _Solace _from its intended orbit, but we need all the help we can get.'

'I understand, Vora. Good luck, Brother.'

'And to you too.'

Instantly the bridge was buzzing with activity, Sangheilii scrambling to input coordinates to bring the _Solace _to the ground, discussing battle plans, prepping weapons.

Yar was about to help, when a hairy hand grabbed his arm. He turned to see Carcarus.

'Now is the time, Yar!' he hissed. 'While they are all distracted.'

'What are you talking about?'

Carcarus rolled his eyes. 'The thing, the object, that I need to show you! Now's our chance!'

'Right now I'm preoccupied,' Yar said, moving to the controls. 'Whatever you want to show me, it can't be more – '

'It's something about the Great Journey, Yar. Something which I think you'll find will change your life forever. This is your only chance. Take it or leave it.'

For the fiftieth time since he had boarded the Supercarrier, Yar hated himself. Unwillingly, he turned towards Carcarus, who smiled in triumph.

'Follow me,' he said, and Yar did, unnoticed. They proceeded down the suddenly narrow corridors, past Sangheili who ran past them in the opposite direction.

'My captains have already retrieved the object, and are waiting for us! Run faster, you slow worm!'

A sense of guilt descended over Yar, as if he was doing something considered heresy. Technically, he was – he had abandoned his post – so why was he following Carcarus? Was it because of its relevance to the Great Journey? He should have never, never met Carcarus. Why had he been so foolish to keep him aboard? Why?

Finally they reached a small corridor, where two gold armoured Jiralhanrae were waiting. They were conversing in loud whispers, but stopped immediately when they saw Yar. Once again, Yar felt uneasy, but did his best to quell his doubts.

'I have chosen you, Yar, because I've been watching you,' Carcarus said. 'You're a suitable ready?'

'Yes.'

One of the captains, the one with the missing eye, stood aside to reveal a round, glowing object. Yar gasped. He had seen such things in books and heard about in fairy tales, but never seen one in person.

It was an Oracle.

* * *

Vora unleashed another shot from his fuel rod, and watched with a stony face as the Warthog exploded in a plume of orange and green. He looked left to see several more primitive vehicles cruising through the massive battlefield. From his spot on the hill, the Hogs were sitting ducks.

The green blasts of energy hurtled towards the ground, which was already littered with human and Covenant corpses. Once nothing stirred on the dusty desert below him, except for his fellow Sangheili, Vora took a break, and reloaded his weapon. The humans were putting everything they had to destroy the Spire, obviously they had guessed at its importance.

Vora was prepared against this. He had deployed Tene and several other zealots Gled had sent him in key locations, where he had predicted the humans would pass through to get to the Spire. So far, so good, the humans who did try to pass had been quickly cut down, judging from his radio chatter.

Everything was working out perfectly. The human's attack was about as effective as ants attacking an elephant. With the cloaked _Solace _raining hell on human ships, the battle was more or less won. For the first time in days, Vora felt at peace. No one could take that away from him now. Not even –

His radio squawked. 'Sir!' a panicked voice cried. 'Squad A is under attack!'

There was clear, unmistakable panic in the Sangheili's voice.

'Are you losing?' Vora whispered into the radio.

'Yes! Yes! We're being torn apart! Huk, get there – wretched human!'

Sounds of rapidly firing plasma hung in the background, and Vora had to strain to listen. 'How many are there?' he said. 'Are there tanks?'

'No! Just one – a grey demon! I've – urgh – curse you heretic!'

There was a sharp whizz, and the transmission cut off. Vora barely noticed.

_Only one Spartan had taken out an entire squad commanded by a zealot._

_His armour was grey._

He tried to think, which wasn't easy. Squad A was positioned directly behind Squad...C, that was it. He grabbed his radio. 'Tene!' he nearly shouted. 'A Spartan is headed your way.'

'Sir?' Tene's voice had a note of surprise. 'Don't worry, sir, we'll – '

'This one's different. Be on your guard. He's grey.'

Vora set down the radio and looked at the battlefield. All the humans that were present were just bloody masses on the ground. As far as he could see, his priority was to assist all Covenant squads that needed help.

Tene would definitely need a _lot _of help.

Yar could hardly believe his eyes. An oracle, aboard the ship? And no one had known?

'Jano hid this well,' Carcarus was saying, standing over the sphere. 'I think I'll know how to activate it.'

The captain with the dented helmet reached forward, but Carcarus slapped his hand away. Went over to the Oracle himself. All the while, Yar was thinking, _I am in so much trouble._

Caracrus was fiddling around in the circuitry. And with a shout of triumph, he stepped backwards. The Oracle lit up, humming.

'Well, then,' Carcarus sneered. 'Ask it.'

'Ask what?'

'Do you even know what an Oracle is for? Ask it questions about the Great Journey!'

Yar hesitated. His instinct told him that something very, very bad was about to happen. This was his last chance to turn back.

'Jano asked the Oracle everything,' Carcarus said. 'Needless to say, he was enlightened. Perhaps you'll like to try...'

The chieftain motioned to his Jiralhanae, and the twi if them lumbered towards a door, to keep watch. Yar didn't notice. All his attention was fixated on the Oracle. Memories

He opened his mouth.

* * *

Gled Fatomee frowned. An urgent message was coming through the communications channel. He hit a button on the control panel, and Vora's voice issued from the speaker.

'Gled! Do you have any troops to spare?'

N, who had been busy at another control screen, turned his head.

'Sorry, Vora, but all my Sangheili are already dedicated in maintaining the _Solace. _Is anything wrong?'

'Yes. A demon blew past a squad led by one of your zealots, and I need backup. There isn't much standing between him and the Spire.'

Gled raised an eyebrow. Beside him, N's body had become rigid.

'Only one human did this?'

'He's not a human, Gled. He's a demon.'

'Who is the commanding officer guarding the Spire, at present?'

'Tene Ursulee.'

'She's more than a match for any Spartan,' Gled scratched his head, thinking. He had been Vora's friend for many years, and knew that he wasn't fooling around. 'Alright, I'll deploy – '

Something roared. Startled, Gled whirled round to see N bellowing his voice to the heavens,

'N? What are you – '

And then N ran. One instant he was standing there, roaring, and then suddenly he darted out of the room. The other Sangheili stared after him in shock.

* * *

Carcarus had left Yar some privacy , instead opting to wait outside with his two captains. That was when he saw a speck appear at the upper levels. It was a zealot.

Before Carcarus could react, the Sangheili jumped down, and started running. He looked like he was being pursued by a pack of beasts.

Carcarus, puzzled, stepped forward to meet him. 'Hey, what's the problem?'

As the Sangheili drew nearer, Carcarus recognised him.

'I've got a score to settle with you,' he growled, standing directly in his path. N barrelled right into him, knocking the hundred kilo chieftain off his feet. From his spot on the floor, Carcarus saw N leaping over him, then watched in a daze as the Sangheili disappeared into a corridor.

'Where is he going?' he muttered.

* * *

'Sir!' a Sangheili Ultra called out. 'One of the drop pods just jettisoned!'

Gled leaned back against the console, his brow furrowed. Was that N? He didn't have time to worry about that. Touching another button on his touchscreen, he started to give orders.

* * *

Tene Ursulee ran her eyes over the concussion rifle. It was a powerful weapon, and by right it should be enough against just one Spartan. When Vora had radioed her, he had sounded panicked, and obviously he must have had a good reason. Tene wasn't going to take any chances. She was going to go down hard.

At her disposal, she had two Kig-Yar, four Unggoy, and a Major Sangheili named Uno. In their spot, stationed inside a mining facility, they had plenty of cover. There was only one point where the Spartan could enter from. They would have him pinned, or even kill him instantly on sight.

All of them were tensed. All of them were concentrating on that tiny walkway where Tene was sure the grey Spartan would appear.

And then, he did.

A hail of plasma fire immediately ensured, and the Spartan literally disappeared into thin air. Tene frowned, leaned closer ,and realised that it was a hologram.

And below, the walkway, was the Spartan, wielding a sniper rifle, which was directly pointing at her. Head.

She thought of N, before her world dissolved into darkness in a sickening crack.


	5. Long Night of Solace

The floor was cold beneath Yar's back, where he had fallen. Beside him, the Oracle watched impassively.

_It can't be._

He had asked the Oracle to explain the murkier parts of the religion, what was the Divine Beyond, who were the Forerunners, but it had been unable to answer.

Frustrated, Yar had meticulously explained the concepts of the Great Journey. It replied, in a neutral mechanical voice, was that the rings that would supposedly propel them into the Divine Beyond were in fact weapons of death.

Yar asked it to repeat what it had said. It did.

In complete horror, he had listened helplessly as the entire set of beliefs that he had based his life upon were shattered. That was when he fell down to the floor, completely overwhelmed.

_This can't be true._

But it was an Oracle, after all, it only spoke the truth. Even it had been lying, it would still mean all faith put in the Oracle was for nothing, and the Great Journey remained a blatant lie. Yar's vision swam, as his conscienceless threatened to give out.

But what was even worse, what was even more paralysing was for the fact that this war...the sacrifices made, the tears, the sweat, everything he had done...was all for nothing. Kraz and Jano, had died for nothing. The scientist a week ago, dying on Vora's energy sword, had died for nothing. The trooper whose skull Yar had crushed while he was venting his weapon died for nothing. It was a joke. They were all a joke. A big, fat, joke.

He surprised himself by giving a low chuckle. Then he laughed.

_I'm going insane._

Yar staggered to his feet, and right on cue, Carcarus strolled in. He tucked the Oracle – or heathen – under his arm, and smirked. 'Follow me,' he said.

Yar didn't even think to disobey. Here he was, a formerly devoted zealot, being led by a Jiralhanrae. No, he wasn't a devoted zealot. He hadn't been fully in it, anyway. That was the only reason he wasn't trying to slit his wrists.

It was a while before he realised they were outside the bridge. He looked round in confusion, feeling utterly lost.

'Do what you always do, Yar,' Carcarus cackled. 'We will need you in two days. You'll find out soon enough.'

And with that, all three Jiralhanae vanished into the shadows.

* * *

Vora sped along on his Revenant, cruising at a decent speed, but still fearing that he was too late. He passed various Wraiths and Ghosts, which were smoking, crumpled, and destroyed. Covenant bodies littered the ground.

_He _must have passed here. Driven by an uncharacteristic hate, he floored his Revenant on. Out of the corner of his eye, a shape hurtled towards him from the side.

He immediately swerved to the left, but the maroon figure still managed to cling to the hood of the vehicle. Vora finally recognised that it was N.

N clambered into the side seat, and frantically indicated with hand motions that Vora was to continue driving.

'What are you doing here?' Vora demanded.

N made a heart shape with his spidery hands. Vora gave up, and instead focused on getting them quickly to the mining facility, where Tene's squad was stationed. At the entrance, he and N had to proceed on foot, and then they jogged along a tiny walkway.

Vora's heart leaped when he saw several live Sangheili moving around. It seemed that the Spartan had been defeated!

But then he saw drop pods, and bodies. One of the living Sangheili, a zealot, raised his head and saw Vora. 'I'm sorry, Commander,' he said. 'We were too late.'

Unggoy and Kig-Yar corpses were strewn on the red ground. A Sangheili in Major Domo garb lay on his back, staring at the sky. Vora walked over to him, and closed his eyes.

A low sound reached his ears, and he shivered. It was moaning. Sad moaning. The moaning of a creature in horrible pain.

That sound was the worse thing he had ever heard.

N was kneeling over the body of Tene Ursulee. A bullet had cleanly cut through her helmet, staining it with purple.

As if in a dream, Vora walked over to her. He bent down, and patted her on the head, as if she was still alive.

He had failed. Again.

It began to rain. There was a loud crash. Vora looked up, and with numb despair, saw the Spire, the structure that Tene had died to protect, get blasted in the midsection by a human ship. The behemoth crumbled into two and landed on the ground in an explosion of dust., The human ship was immediately destroyed by the _Solace, _but that didn't make it better. It didn't make it better at all.

N stopped moaning. He looked up. Vora stared at his face. N's eyes were red, narrowed slits.

And, without warning, N charged right at the human ships in the distance, roaring. Vora lunged forward and tackled him to the ground. N was an animal. He struggled like a wildbeast, hissing and clawing. Vora punched him the face.

Other Sangheili stared, but Vora didn't take heed. He picked N up and slammed him against a wall. Rain dripped off his helmet, causing his vision to cloud.

N glared at him with pure hatred.

'Hold position.' Vora snapped. 'I'm not going to lose somebody else.'

N hissed.

'I am your Commander!' Vora shouted. Everyone was staring at them now, staring at the two furious Sangheili shrouded in the rain.

'Some commander,' N croaked hoarsely.

Vora stared at him, his mouth open. Then he drew his fist back, and it slammed into the cement next to N. He withdrew it, the hand dripping with rock fragments and blood.

'Stay. Here.' Vora snarled. He looked at all the Sangheili who were staring.

'Make sure he doesn't go. Hold him until I return.'

None of them nodded. They just stared at him. Vora couldn't read the emotions in their eyes. Was it surprise? Pity? Disgust?

Vora turned his back and trekked across the destroyed landscape. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he had to mediate on the death on one more comrade, and he would have to do it alone.

* * *

Yar was a robot now. Performing tasks without any feeling or emotion. Another day, another lie.

He supposed he could tell everybody, but would they believe him? Would they deem him a heretic? During these two days, Yar was stuck in limbo, not knowing what to do. Carcarus soon provided him with an answer.

When Yar was making one of his rounds, Carcarus popped out, along wit his two mindlessly loyal companions. 'Now's the time, Yar,' he said, his eyes gleaming.

'For what?'

'To show them,' Carcarus tossed the Oracle to Yar, who nearly missed it. 'Show them.'

If he had been in his right mind, Yar would have wondered exactly the reasons behind the Jiralhanae's actions. He would have realised that he was just a pawn. But instead he just nodded dumbly, and walked to the bridge. It was only when he was there when he realised what he was about to do.

He got cold feet, and started to turn away. Carcarus bumped him back, and shouted, 'Hey, Gled!'

Gled Fatomee looked over, his face red, furious that a Jiralhanae would dare address him in such a contemptuous manner. Yar gulped.

'Yar has something important to tell you,' Carcarus added before moving aside. Gled walked over to Yar slowly.

'What is it, Yar?' he growled. His eyes moved downwards, and Gled gasped. 'An Oracle?'

Yar didn't even have to do anything. The Oracle suddenly lit up by itself. Later he would wonder if the Jiralhanae had planned this as well.

In that characteristic droning voice, the Oracle asked what its function was.

'Tell them about the rings,' Yar found himself saying. There was no backing out now. 'The rings our ancestors the Forerunners left behind.'

The Oracle began. The whole bridge, which had been previously buzzing with activity, fell silent at once. Yar winced at every word the Oracle spoke, and with every word Gled looked angrier and angrier.

The Oracle finally finished its herecy laden speech. All was silent, deadly silent. Nothing stirred. Yar imagined Gled taking out an energy sword, and cutting him down where he stood. What demon had possessed him to do something as incredibly foolish as this? Bending his head, he waited for the axe to fall.

'Heresy,' one of the Sangheili by the bridge croaked. It was a white armoured Ultra, and Yar watched in horror as it drew an energy sword. The Ultra slowly walked towards the Oracle, a lean hunger in his eyes. Gled remained silent.

The Ultra stopped at the Oracle, its frame glowing from the light of the sword. Then the Ultra looked up, and glared at Yar.

'Heretic,' he growled, and darted towards Yar, holding his blade out.

A hammer smashed into the white Sangheili, and with a loud boom his body flew across the bridge. Yar heard a rattling sound, looked to his left, and saw the two Jiralhanae Captains with their Spikers out, spraying the entire control room with deadly projectiles.

The Sangheili were caught completely by surprise. Most of them didn't even have their shields on. They died where they stood, slaughtered like cattle. One Spec Ops Sangheili actually managed to get his Plasma Rifle out and fire a dozen wild shots before two spikes tore through his brain.

Another ran for cover, only to take a Gravity Hammer straight to the face, his head exploding in a purple mist.

'Wha – ' Yar tried to say. 'Wha – ' he swallowed.

'Thanks for distracting them,' Carcarus grinned, his teeth adorned with blood. 'This is a coup, Yar!'

'B-but...why?'

'Why? Why?' Carcarus laughed, which sounded like an explosion in the dead silence. His two lackeys roared in anger.

'The Prophets have betrayed us! It's time to return the favour!' Carcarus whooped, twirling his hammer round.

Yar began backing away. Either he would be killed by these bloodthirsty brutes or he would be executed for treason. It was more likely the latter. There were hundreds of Covenant loyalists still aboard the ship. They would have heard. Was Carcarus crazy?

Yes, he realized – he was insane. All of them were insane. He was the most insane, since he found himself caring about himself rather than the dead crew on the bridge.

His stumbling feet started to run. Yes, he was indeed going to run away from all this. _I'm a coward, _he realised, tears streaming down his face, and mouth masked in a gruesome smile. _I'm a coward, and we're all mad here._

'Where do you think, you're going, Yar?' Carcarus said, pointing the big end of the hammer towards him. 'Hope you don't do anything – '

Gled Fatomee jumped from behind a console, with a plasma rifle in each hand. He had a dozen spikes embedded in his body, but he opened fire. The one eyed Jiralhanae Captain was dead before he hit the ground, his face completely burnt off by plasma. The remaining Captain, the one with the dented helmet, brought his spiker round. Carcarus turned to face Gled, and Yar saw his chance.

He stumbled out of the bridge, laughing and crying as he ran through the cold corridors. Halfway through, he ran into a Spec Ops Sangheili team.

'What's going on, sir?' one of them asked. 'We heard – '

'Don't call me sir!' Yar shouted at them, and continued to run, heading fro the hanger area, where the vehicles were located. All he wanted to do now was get off this accursed ship.

A brown figure flew past him, trailing streaks of purple blood. Yar look round to see Carcarus charging through the corridor, his bloody hammer held aloft.

'Gonna kill you, Yar,' Carcarus giggled. He seemed to have gone completely unhinged. 'Gonna smash you.'

Sweating, Yar ran for his life. But Carcarus was surprisingly nimble on his feet. The two engaged in a silent race, neither one gaining any progress. Yar had no weapons with him on person, and knew that if Carcarus caught up, he was doomed.

_You coward, _Yar's father said. Yar shook it off, and cried in relief when he burst into the hanger. Several Banshees lined the walls, and Yar scrambled into one of them. A hammer slammed into the ground just when he took off, sending the Banshee spiralling out of control. But it spiralled away from the ship, and with a bittersweet feeling of triumph, Yar watched as Carcarus grew farther and farther with every second.

He throttled the Banshee, back towards Reach. He couldn't wait to see Vora again. Vora was –

His entire vision went purple.

Yar turned his head, and saw a purple sphere of light, the colour of blood, growing in size.

What – what –

The _Long Night of Solace _crumpled into dust.


	6. Exodus

It was the pitiful cries of terror that woke Yar up. He opened his eyes to see a misty purple. For a moment he panicked, but realised that he was still inside his Banshee.

It looked like he had crash landed, and his shields had absorbed most of the impact. Grunting, he hit the upper cowling, and it opened up, allowing him a view of the chaos outside. There were smoking, human structures, and humans running in all directions, screaming.

He hopped out of the Banshee, and looked around. It appeared he was in a human settlement. And he had crashed right into the middle of a battle.

Jiralhanae were everywhere, firing their spikers, hurling grenades. Human corpses were strewn everywhere, slick with blood. Yar saw how the battle was faring – the humans didn't stand a chance.

_Why aren't they firing back? _He wondered dazedly. _Why do they have no weapons?_

It hit him like a freight train. The humans weren't soldiers, they were civilians. Being slaughtered in cold blood. This was genocide.

The Jiralhanae were having a field day, and they showed absolutely no mercy. Males, females, children, they all died nevertheless, riddled with spikes. One Jiralhanae was so trigger happy he accidently shredded his partner to bits.

_Death everywhere! The world's gone mad!_

Yar felt his sanity slipping, but he snatched it back, and walked deeper into the city, ignoring the massacre behind him. He thought about the incident on the ship.

_I could have done something, _he realized. But he didn't. His purpose in life had vanished, and with it, the desire to rise to the occasion.

He was a failure. In fact, he had been from the very start.

_Just kill yourself, _his father taunted him. _You're just a worthless slab of meat._

Yar slowly sank to his knees. He needed to think. Ponder on what to do next. And, then, a sudden idea hit him like a lightning bolt.

_I can still do something._

Yar jumped up, and started to run in the direction of his crashed Banshee, where the bloody massacre was still running its course.

* * *

He was an animal now. Trudging through the destroyed landscape, picking his way around fallen debris, he felt the last of his emotion drain away. He was no longer Nox Lodumee.

He was N.

Two days ago, sneaking off while Vora had his back turned was child's play. And then, as he had headed towards the direction of the ruined Spire, by chance h had seen a airborne human vehicle pass his way. And, by chance, or perhaps by divine intervention, a grey Spartan was sitting in the passenger seat.

So N had followed, snatching a nearby Banshee and following that grey demon, but at a distance. When the human ship had landed on a base, N had almost stormed into the human's sanctuary singlehandedly, so much was the hatred burning inside him. But he had calmed down considerably. Gone was the rash personality of Nox Lodumee.

He was N, emotionless, efficient killer.

So he had waited for a chance to catch the Spartan alone, and kill him. Kill him slowly. He had waited for two whole days, hidden among the branches of a tree, where he had a vantage point of all the exits of the base. He hadn't drunk or ate the entire time. He hadn't even moved a single muscle, except for his eyes. Trivial things didn't matter to him at the moment.

Finally, after two long days, he saw the same human aircraft rising out of the base, and, using the magnifying feature on his armour, discovered that the grey Spartan was on it. He hopped into his Banshee, and followed the demon closely.

The demon had arrived at another case, entered another human aircraft, and exited Reach's atmosphere. Just as N was following him out, the Covenant supercarrier – the Long Night of Solace – had exploded, and then the next thing N knew, the shockwave sent him hurtling back to Reach.

But not before he had glimpsed the grey demon floating in space, slowly descending.

The grey demon had probably landed where N was, in this human settlement. It was more or less owned by the jiralhanae now, several were already raiding the city, and shooting every human in sight.

Now, N weaved through the streets and buildings, searching aimlessly for the grey demon. He would be somewhere here, he had to be. N was determined to find him, the one who had killed Tene. That was his only goal in life, at present.

He passed a battlefield, or rather, a slaughterhouse. Jiralhanae had herded several humans into a corner and were cutting them up with the blades of their pistols. The unarmed civilians screaned for mercy. The might as well been talking to a brick wall.

N walked on. None survived.

He reached a fallen building, once the pride of the city, now lying on the street. The problem was, it was blocking his way. He couldn't climb over the wreckage – it was too high. For a moment he pondered on this unforeseen occurrence, but then noticed a tiny opening, a gap between the fallen building and another one.

N went over to it, just as the grey demon appeared. N froze, and activated both of his energy swords. But his reaction had come too late. The grey demon had rounded a corner and vanished,

Hissing, N sprinted towards the gap left by the fallen building. He would have speedily made it past if a human hadn't popped up. Right in front of N.

The human screamed when he saw what he interpreted as a monster, and he held his hands up over his face.

N jerked one of his swords. The human didn't move, only stared. He seemed to have been frozen in terror. No wonder, he looked like a youngling.

N didn't want to spill unnecessary blood, but he had no choice. The young human was blocking his way. N raised his weapon, and prepared to slice the hapless civilian from left to right.

And then a flood of memories rose within him. A long forgotten battlefield, stained with the blood of a thousand dead Sangheili...

A hand, reaching out of the mist... an escape, from death and madness...

N gritted his teeth, and deactivated his sword. He pushed the human aside. He had to do it slowly, or he would have broke the human's ribcage. Time was running out. The grey demon could be half a mile away by now.

But he couldn't just kill a human in cold blood.

He was Nox Lodumee, house of Lodum.

Finally, he was past, and he dashed across the rubble, in the direction of his accursed enemy. The civilian lay moaning behind him, still in shock.

_You have nothing to cry about, human. _N thought, and then amended his statement when he heard footsteps behind him. Heavy footsteps. Footsteps of lumbering Jiralhanae.

N wrestled with indecision for a full minute, cursed, and resumed his run. The grey demon was getting away. He would not let that happen, for the sake of his beloved Tene Ursulee. The youngling would just have to die, then.

* * *

'P-please – ' the lanky teenager begged, falling to the ground. 'Please! I haven't – I –'

A brown stain appeared in his pants. The Jiralhanae noticed this, and laughed. One of them lazily unhooked his spiker pistol, and pointed it directly at the teenager.

'I'm begging you...' the young man's face was streaked with tears. 'Please...'

The Jiralhanae grinned, and...

* * *

...Yar stepped forward, and punched him directly in the face. The Jiralhanae Captain's head snapped, back, sending the pistol and a few teeth flying.

'You – ' The Captain roared. 'What are you!'

'Do not address me with that tone!' snapped Yar, summoning up all the confidence he could muster. 'Cease this massacre at once!'

The Captins' mouth was bleeding, and he looked furious. The other Jiralhanae Minor behind him didn't look too happy as well. Yar's mind flashed back to Carcarus, and a brief pang of fear shot through him.

He struggled not to show it in his voice. 'Tell your commander – whoever is leading this operation – to stop this accursed slaughter at once!'

'They are our enemies!'

'Not these ones. They are innocent. Stop this foolishness, and let me see your commanding officer.'

'The way I see it,' the Captain spat, 'There's four of us and only one of you.'

Yar was shocked. 'Are you _suggesting _attacking a senior officer? Heresy!'

'On the contrary, Sangheili,' the Captain, spraying Yar's face with spittle, '_You're _the heretic!'

And then he raised his pistol. Yar's own hands shot to the Plasma Repeater on his back, but he didn't think he stood much chance. That was, unitl a bullet suddenly tore through the Captain's head, spinning his body around in a swirl of blood. Yar jerked his head up, and saw a Spartan.

The remaining Jiralhanae began to turn, but they didn't have a chance. The Spartan, from his position on top of the wreckage, killed them all with three well placed headshots. The fight was over before their bodies hit the ground.

Yar, meanwhile, had been quick enough to dart into a small alley. He sat there, heart pounding, before realising there was someone else in the small alley with him.

It was the teenage whom he had rescued earlier, whimpering on the ground. Earlier, he must have decided to hide here while Yar had been distracting the Jiralhanae.

Yar tapped him on the shoulder, and the human screeched with fear. Yar impatiently indicated, through innovative hand signals, that the human was to get a move on, and venture outside, where the grey Spartan would collect him and protect. Unfortunately, the human didn't seem to be getting it, instead preferring to cower in fear.

Yar sighed. There was only one thing he could do.

Hoisting the struggling, shrieking human with two hands, Yar ventured out of his hiding place. He came face to face with the grey Spartan, who had been creeping up with a shotgun.

When the Spartan saw Yar was holding a human, he tensed, expecting a hostage situation. But Yar gently pushed the teenager towards the Spartan, while all the time keeping his Plasma Repeater lowered.

Once the teenager had staggered over to the Spartan, Yar made a show of putting his weapon on his back. He slowly backed away, ready to dive for cover.

The Spartan grabbed the civilian by the shoulder, but looked directly at Yar. His grimy visor madehim impossible to read.

Then the grey Spartan spoke. 'Next time, we're enemies.' He turned to leave, holding the terrified civilian by hand, ready to lead him to safety. 'Thanks,' he added over his shoulder, and then he was gone.

Yar didn't waste time basking over this small victory. He had to find out who exactly was leading the assault on this human city, and get them to stop...somehow. As he scanned the landscape for a Phantom or any reasonable Sangheili, the full impossibility of his task dawned on him.

_Why am I doing this? _He wondered.

_It's because I am who I am._

_

* * *

_

N felt his emotionless facade falter for the second time that day. He kicked a piece of debris aside, and grunted in frustration. He had lost the grey Spartan, that much was for sure. It pained him to think he had come so close to killing that demon – yet lost the chance because of his small act of mercy.

A pack of Jiralhanae appeared into view, thier bodies covered in red human blood. They were laughing, talking to themselves. N ran over to them.

They frowned at him. N pointed his hand into the sky.

'What, you mute or something?' one of them snapped.

N glared at them, shook his head, and once again motioned to the sky.

'You want a Phantom?' one of the more levelheaded Jiralhanae asked. 'From the looks of it, you're not supposed to be here.'

N shrugged.

'Only Jiralhanae were assigned here.'

N jabbed his finger at the sky again, hissing in frustration.

'You want to get one, talk to our commander.'

This situation was beyond belief. A pack of lowly Jiralhanae, actually disobeying a Sangheili zealot! N roared in fury.

'You want to talk to our commander? Actually, we do not know where he is, he said he would be here, but...'

A strangely familiar voice cut in. 'Oh, I'm here, all right. Just a little late.'

N watched as a scrawny Cheiftain strolled into the scene, his armour looking as if a bomb had gone off near it. They both recognized each other immediately.

'It's you,' Carcarus grinned. He hefted an object in his hands, which seemed to be some sort of spherical robot. 'What a coincidence. I was thinking of showing something to you...'


	7. New Alexandria

Vora Oracee was tired. More weary than he had been in his entire life. As he looked down at the destroyed city, from his position on the Phantom, he felt a strange sense of pity. He quickly forced them away. The humans were to be exterminated, the Prophets were quite clear on that.

Beside him was a zealot named Fel, the one who had been on the scene when Tene arrived. Once he had seen there was nothing he could do, Fel had contacted his commander Gled Fatomee for orders, but for some reason could not reach him. So he was stuck with Vora, who found his company comforting.

But exactly why Gled wasn't answering his comm was very disturbing. Vora's heart went cold when he thought of the possibility that Gled had been killed. But surely not? Surely the Gods weren't so unkind as to add another casualty to the ever increasing list? In any case, it was impossible that it was the grey demon who had bumped Gled (if Gled _was _dead, because he obviously wasn't right?). No one could be so unlucky as that. No one.

'Are you okay, sir?' Fel asked.

'Fine...' Vora hung his head.

'Sir...? Are you sure...'

Another cold pang stuck Vora's heart. Fel had sounded almost doubtful. It was common knowledge that Vora was perhaps the most competent Sangheili in his time, so why, then, did Fel seem uncertain since so many years?

_What is happening to me?_

Aloud, Vora said, 'I've got everything under control, Fel.'

The truth was, he couldn't get ahold of _any _of the zealots aboard the _Solace, _including Yar, and to make matters worse N had run off somewhere. That meant that the only zealot assigned to Reach that was confirmed alive was the one standing beside him.

_We're winning, yet losing, _Vora pondered sadly.

And then, he heard the sweetest sound that day. The sound of Yar's voice through his comm.

'Sir?' Yar's said. 'Are you there?'

'I'm here, Yar. Where are you?'

'In a human city...I think it's called New Alexandria.'

_We're in the same place!_

'Listen sir, I need to tell you something urgent...'

'I'm the area, Yar. I'll pick you up. Where are you exactly?'

* * *

The Oracle finished its lecture for the third time. Silence reigned over the room.

'So?' Carcarus said eagerly. 'What do you think?'

N sat rock still, staring at the Oracle, not with shock, but curiosity. Nevertheless, Carcarus was confident N would break down. He especially loved it when those pompous zealots fell to pieces before his eyes. There was something...self satisfying in watching them make fools of themselves.

But N only stared, stood up, and turned to leave.

'Hey!' Carcarus barked. 'Don't you understand what he just said?'

N turned his inscrutable eyes to Carcarus, and gave a small shrug.

'The Great Journey! It's...' Carcarus almost tripped himself up from shock, but managed to continue. 'The religion..the Covenant is...false...' he finished lamely.

Hate welled inside him. He had especially wanted this particular Sangheili to freak out, this zealot who had dared threatened him with two blades held to his neck. This zealot had humiliated him in front of everyone at that base.

Carcarus was itching to return the favour. But so far, N hadn't so much as blinked.

'Hey – 'Carcarus growled as N disappeared out of the room. They both ventured outside. It was getting dark already, but that wasn't a problem, as the sky was lit up by burning buildings and beams of destruction raining down on this human city, reducing its skyscrapers to dust.

N walked away, away from the squads of jiralhanae, and Carcarus did the same. He was going to get his revenge on N, he would see to that.

* * *

Fel spotted Yar standing atop a human building, which, unlike most of the others, had not burst into flames yet. He notified their Kig-Yar pilot.

Yar climbed aboard the ship, a harrowed look in his eyes. Even though he had been rescued, he didn't look reassured.

Neither did Vora. 'What happened aboard the _Solace?' _he said immediately. 'I couldn't – '

'It was destroyed,' Yar spat. 'I think I was the only survivor.'

'Then... Gled... the others...'

'Dead,' Yar ploughed on. Fel noticed Yar was oblivious to his commander cringing at every word. Instead, he seemed determined to say something.

'Commander, you have to stop this massacre!'

'A little late, young one,' Fel intervened. Yar stared at him as if he had grown an extra two arms.

'Look,' Fel continued patiently. 'We've already commenced glassing. It's too late to save anyone, now.'

Yar's shoulders slumped.

'And,' Fel continued. 'You fail to realise something.'

'What?'

'That the words you just uttered are heresy.'

'Heresy!' Yar gave a strangled laugh. 'No such thing!'

The young zealot looked half-mad. Fel turned to Vora for help, but instead found the Field Marshall staring into space. Not for the first time, he wondered if Vora was losing it. Well, he had received news that one of his closest friends had died, after all.

It looked like it was up to him to put this young zealot in his place. 'Yar, we both know you have committed heresy of the highest order.' He shrugged apologetically. 'I'm sorry, but it looks like I'll have to turn you over to the Prophets.'

Yar stared back at Fel, his eyebrows knotted together.

_Amazing, he actually developed some backbone. This wasn't the Yar I knew._

'This is a lie. All of it! And I have heard with my own ears that what we are doing is wrong,' Yar stamped his foot. 'I know I don't have proof right now, but it's true. The Great Journey..._is false_!'

His last statement reverberated around the cabin. A shocked silence ensured, broken by the disbelieving squawk of the Kig-Yar pilot. For a moment, no one moved.

'Open the hangar doors,' Vora suddenly said.

There was a click as the pilot obeyed. A sheet of metal slid down, revealing the six hundred meter drop below.

Vora stepped forward, and activated his energy sword, unheard by the howling wind, but drawing every eye.

'What did you say, Yar?' Vora muttered, taking one step at a time. Yar simply glared at his commander.

'You know what I said. The Great Journey is all false. The Prophets have lied to us. One of the "Oracles" said so.'

'Don't you realise, Yar, that that alone is enough for me to throw you off?

To his surprise, Fel remained calm, as he always had. There was no doubt was Vora was going to do. It was unmistakable what Yar was going to do, as well. The outcome of this engagement was clear.

'This war is wrong!' shouted Yar, roaring to make himself heard over the roaring wind. 'Can't you see that? We're slaughtering innocents!'

'We're fighting for the Great Journey!' Vora snarled, moving closer. One more step and he would be in range to gut Yar like a fish.

'All creatures deserve to take the Journey!' Yar roared back, and Fel noticed his legs were shaking, as if anticipating what was going to come. 'Why not the humans? This religion is flawed in every way!'

It was Yar that took the final step, sliding closer to Vora, so that they were staring face to face.

'Have you ever wondered what we're fighting for?' Yar concluded softly.

Neither of them moved. Not a single muscle. Then, finally, Yar turned away to face the destroyed city below them.

'Have you ever met a human up close?' he whispered. 'One of them was strangely honourable...like us. A grey Spartan was in this city. I didn't attack him, so neither did – '

He jerked forwards, his mouth filling with blood. Slowly, Yar looked down at the bright, glowing energy sword that was protruding from his chest.

'May our ancestors have mercy on your soul,' said Vora, planting his leg on Yar's back. And then, he pushed.

Yar had time to yell, 'Sir!' before he toppled forward, out of the Phantom and down into the city. The sea of flames swallowed up his broken body, and then Yar was gone.

Vora put his sword back, and looked at Fel.

'It was him,' Vora slurred, as if he was in a dream,

'S-sir?'

That grey demon!' Vora howled, smashing his fist against the wall. 'He was spotted at a human launch facility, just today. He must have blown up the _Solace. _He must have.'

Much as Fel was shocked at the fact that Vora had actually been keeping tabs on this grey Spartan, he nodded. 'So, since Yar saw this grey demon in the city...'

'...I want to search for him here,' Vora finished. 'Put out on all channels that if any dropship catches sight of this demon – they are to drop everything and kill it at once, no matter what.'

'Yes sir,' Fel said, and bowed, priding himself on his ability to maintain his composure. Watching a commander murder one of his subjects was not something you saw every day. Followed by the fact that Vora seemed to be losing his marbles.

Once Fel had relayed the message, Vora seemed to have calmed down. 'Everything's okay, Fel,' he said, reading the zealot's mind. 'Everything...is fine.'

* * *

'Where are you going?' Carcarus asked for the fifth time. And, for the fifth time, N ignored him.

He had been wandering aimlessly – apparently – around the wrecked buildings, searching for something, and Carcarus followed him, trying every trick in the book, insulting his family, slandering the religion, but throughout not one single facial muscle of N had twitched.

_That arrogant bastard._

Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in his head. Carcarus scrambled over to N, nearly tripping himself over in his excitement. If he had, he would have broke the Oracle he was carrying, and that would not do.

'H-hey...' he panted. 'What if I told you...that I could destroy the Covenant?'

N didn't slow his step, but continued walking.

'Cause chaos, that's what I meant. Kill millions.'

Now N turned his head, and Carcarus grinned. It actually looked like N had a soft spot, after all. Not that you could tell from looking at him.

'This...' Carcarus hefted the Oracle. 'Why don't we have a little chat, shall we...?'

* * *

'Sir!' the pilot said. 'One of the ships spotted – '

Vora was in the cockpit in a flash, nearly knocking the Kig-Yar over. 'Who is this?' he said into the radio.

'This is Bado Yangzee, sir, I saw a grey Spartan, just as you described, and he was in a tall building with some sort of pyramid symbol on it...'

'Did you kill him?' Vora interrupted.

'Sorry sir, but there many human aircraft around, and I couldn't – '

'Do your duty! Kill that demon!'

'S-sorry, sir, but I already left the area...going back there is suicide...'

With a deep grunt, Vora broke off the transmission, and grabbed the Kig-Yar by the shoulder. 'Head for the building with the pyramid symbol. Now!'

'You heard Sangheili,' the Kig-Yar gibbered. 'I –'

'Do it!'

Although Vora's orders seemed irrational, his voice was level, and Fel wondered if the Field Marshall was getting his wits back after all.

But, as he glanced at the various human ships patrolling the area as they got closer and closer to the building, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. This wasn't going to end well.

Vora had only one concern – to kill this grey demon, once and for all.

The way he saw it, he did have a chance to kill that monster, right at the start, back when Jano and Kraz were still alive. In his haste to escape with the Forerunner artefact, Vora had _pushed _the demon away instead of slicing him in half.

As a result, the demon had survived. And, because of him, four zealots had died.

Actually, five. Because Yar's sudden betrayal wasn't a coincidence, was it? The grey Spartan had been in the same place. Somehow, that monster had changed Yar, made him go mad.

At first it sounded crazy, but the more Vora mulled it over, the more sure he became. Yes, it was all its fault that five zealots he had known personally had all perished in one single campaign. Both its fault and his own. This was his last chance. He would kill the demon, or die trying.

A barrage of bullets suddenly struck the Phantom, causing it to shudder.

'We're under fire!' the Kig-Yar wailed.

'I suggest we get out of here,' Fel remarked airily, scratching his cheek.

Vora ignored them, and grabbed a Needle Rifle that was leaning against the wall – presumably the Kig-Yars.

'The glassing!' the Kig-Yar shouted, 'They're starting the glassing! We have to – '

'There's time!' They were now so close to the building, Vora could read the symbols on the pyramid logo. 'Drop me off here. I – '

Then, he spotted them. Two Spartans, running across the ground. One was clad in grey.

Immediately Vora hefted his needle rifle, and with sweaty hands, tracked the demon with his barrel. This was his last chance at redemption.

He aimed...and fired.

He missed.

The other Spartan, a blue armoured one, went down instead, a bloody hole in his helmet. The grey demon instantly fired back with a pistol, and so did three other Spartans which had been concealed among the wreckage.

Before Vora could get off another shot, the Phantom pulled away, and the grey demon vanished behind debris.

'What are you doing! Turn back!' Vora hollered.

'Glassing beam coming near! Flee!'

Indeed, a pillar of radiation was shooting down from the sky, turning everything to dust. The Phantom fled the scene, and Vora was left alone to mull over his latest failure.


	8. The Package

N didn't even know why he had flinched. Perhaps it was the various charred bodies strewn around the area that had weakened his emotional state. But what was done was done. Carcarus had noticed.

'Listen here, Sangheili,' Carcarus said. 'If I broadcast this – say, throughout High Charity – there'll be three groups. Those who believe, and those who don't. And, what do you get when you get differing ideas? Chaos!'

Carcarus shouted out the last word, and actually jumped up in pure glee. There was no doubt that this Chieftain had gone stark raving mad, and he would probably carry his plan out. The question was, would N do anything about it?

N held up three fingers, and Carcarus understood. 'You wanna know who the third group of people are, eh?'

N nodded, and Carcarus laughed. 'That's the group I belong to. The group that doesn't care. See, there's a reason for your actions, you see? Take away that reason – and nothing matters!'

A shrill giggle split the air. 'Nothing matters! There's no reason – for anything! Perhaps you are wondering – why are innocent humans who haven't done anything wrong, being slaughtered? I'll tell you why – _no reason!'_

Carcarus bent over double, howling. 'So, you understand why I have to destroy the Covenant. You do know the reason, do you?'

N nodded wearily.

'That's right. _I don't have a reason!' _Carcarus broke into another laughing fit.

N furiously weighed up the possibilities in his mind. There was nothing he could do. He should track down that grey Spartan. There had to be clues, somewhere.

So N just walked away. Carcarus's laugh died.

'You idiot!' Carcarus shouted. 'Come back!'

'No.'

Carcarus stumbled to a stop, his eyes wide. N slowly turned round, and opened his mouth.

'I was N,' he said simply.

'N...' Carcarus jumped. 'Surely you don't mean _the _N! The assassin?'

'Before the war,' N whispered. 'Yes. I killed hundreds.'

'Hmph,' Carcarus folded his arms. 'So you're as stone cold as a food nipple, eh? Looks like – '

'I was N,' N repeated. 'But right now, I'm Nox.'

He brought out his two energy swords, and held them in front of him. Carcarus instantly brought out his hammer, slamming it down on the ground, and cast the Oracle to one side. The two watched each other warily, waiting for the slightest movement.

'So where did you learn all this noble stuff anyway?' the chieftain sneered. In response, N curled his fingers to form a shape of a heart, and then resumed his battle stance.

Carcarus snorted. 'Well, I don't really care. All that matters is conflict.'

The Jiralhanae struck – swift, and without warning. N dove to the side as the hammer smashed into the wall near N, creating shockwave that crumbled the concrete to dust.

As N had dived, he lashed out with the sword, but Carcarus was surprisingly light on his feet, and sidestepped, letting the blow sail past him.

All of this had happened in less than a second. N hit the ground, rolled, and assumed a standing position immediately.

'You're going to die,' Carcarus grinned.

The hammer darted to the left, and N moved. Too late – N realised it was a feint, and before he could do anything, a heavy weight slammed into his side, depleting his shields immediately. N heard a crack and felt bones shift under his armour. Pain exploded across his abdomen.

Carcarus jumped back, watching N writhe in pain. N was positive his ribs were broken, and there was definitely more than one. But that didn't stop him from lunging forwards, with the speed of a flying arrow, and suddenly, Cacarus's hammer was missing its head.

The Jiralhanae looked his now useless weapon in dismay. 'Alright,' he said, raising his paws. 'I give up. You win. Just don't kill me, okay? Destroy the Oracle if you want...but don't kill me please.'

N had no qualms about killing Carcarus – that Jiralhanae was trouble and he had to die. As he loomed over the defenceless Chieftain, trying to ignore the pain, N's mind flashed back to the defenceless human he had encountered earlier.

With a snort, N drew back. And tossed Carcarus one of his swords.

Carcarus caught it, looking amused. 'You're injured. And yet you still retain your honour?'

N nodded. The burning in his side was growing more intense by the minute, and he felt faint.

'That'll be the death of you,' Carcarus sighed, and then, grasping N's sword, leapt forwards. N did likewise.

The two met midway, and both of their swords found their target. A blade jutted through Carcarus's neck, but in turn, another blade had sliced through the left side of N's face.

Carcarus fell, blood spilling from his throat. He struggled to stay upright, but after emitting a gurgling sound, dropped to the ground and died.

N remained where he was. He put his hand up to his face, and touched something wet and squishy. He realised that he had lost all vision in his left eye.

The world swam around him, and N struggled to stay conscious. Some how, he had survived, but chances were he wasn't going to live long. Before he could contain himself, he dropped to the ground, his whole world turning purple. N realised that was because his own blood was blinding him.

_I'm dying..._

He looked towards the Oracle, lying in the rubble. He couldn't bring himself to destroy it. Every muscle in his body seemed to have died already.

_Tene, forgive me...I have been foolish..._

Darkness consumed him...

* * *

And then he was brought back into the light.

N blinked, and found himself staring at the roof of a Phantom.

'You're alive,' a deep, calm voice said. That voice belonged to another zealot, one which N recognized. That zealot's name was Fel, if N recalled correctly.

N shifted his head, and saw rocks. So he was in a Phantom that had docked in some kind of desert.

'You're lucky we spotted you,' Fel said evenly. 'You would have died, but we fixed you – to the best of our abilities.'

N raised his hand. It was like lifting the arm of a Mglekgolo. Once he had managed to do so, he extended two fingers, then lifted one down.

Amazingly, Fel understood. 'So you're asking who's with me? There's our Kig-Yar pilot, and Vora Oracee, our commander as of now. He's a bit preoccupied at the moment.'

N gave a puzzled look.

'He's examining the object that was with you.'

Through the hazy cloud of pain in his head, N tried to think. He hadn't brought along any special object that might have needed examining. After a while, he stopped wondering, and closed his eyes.

'Hey, don't do that,' Fel's mouth curved upwards in a polite smile. 'Do tha, and you'll die. You're already cutting it close, Brother, and I'd advise you to stay awake for the moment.'

* * *

After the Vora had missed his final chance, misery struck him down harder than any bullet would. He had looked at the energy sword strapped to his thigh, and, in an insane moment, contemplated using it on himself. After all, so many things had happened which were essentially his fault, his failure to kill the grey demon.

But then, they had found N and a dead Jiralhanae lying on the ground, along with a round metal sphere. If he could admit it to himself, Vora found the sphere to be more important. Although Fel didn't recognize it, Vora had. It was an Oracle.

Never could this had been a better time. Vora desperately needed advice, longed for words that could soothe the turmoil in his mind. When he had been in the center of a standoff between him and Yar last night, he had, to his horror, began to _doubt _his duty to the Covenant!

So he had instructed the Kig-Yar to land the Phantom – outside the burning city – so that Vora could listen to the oracle somewhere in private. So he could seek redemption of his act of heresy last night.

Now, as he turned it on, he felt relieved. Finally, all his longing questions of doubt would be answered.

* * *

N had managed to stand up on wobbly knees for about three seconds before he had to lean against the Phantom walls for support. Fel watched him patiently. N looked towards him, and tapped the left side of his face.

'Fortunately, I know a thing or two about healing, I found some substance in the human city, applied it to your face, and all the broken tissues came together. Not sure how long it'll hold, though.'

N growled, but Fel kept his grin up. 'I know, I know, that's heresy. But you've got to bend the rules in dire circumstances, right?'

N pointed out the door, and Fel sighed. 'Of course I didn't tell him I used a human substance. I just made up some stupid story.'

He then looked out into the distance, where the smoke from the burning city could still be seen. 'You know, I've often wondered...if what we're doing is right.'

On reflex, N's eyes darted to the hanger doors, where Vora might appear any minute. But Fel continued, oblivious of the dangers.

'I saw defenceless humans being slaughtered...my commander killing one of our own... kind of makes you think, doesn't it? What are we fighting for?'

N nodded his assent. He looked at his hands, which were stained with his own blood.

_What have I killed for?_

'But of course, that's not for us to decide. We're the elite of the Sangheili, but the Prophets call all the shots, don't they? All we do is follow orders. That's all we _can _do, really.'

'No,' N whispered.

Fel glanced towards him in mild surprise. 'Really?'

N brought up his hands, and found that this time it was wasn't difficult. He curled his fingers to form the shape of a heart.

Just as before, Fel grasped the concept. That Sangheili was a smart one. 'Maybe I will try your philosophy some day...' he looked at the rising smoke. 'That is, if I ever live to see it...'

* * *

The Oracle finished it's message.

Vora was speechless.

Slowly, he took out his energy sword, and activated it.

Then he sliced the Oracle in half in one quick strike, and watched it shatter into pieces. The thought that he had just destroyed a Forerunner artefact chilled him to the bone.

No – that wasn't an artefact. It couldn't have been othersiw that would mean the Great Journey was flase everything he had lived for everything he had sacrificed his life for his entire reason for existing was destroyed

How can this be it was impossible it can't be but it was that grey demon oh yes it was the grey demon it set me up it wants me to go mad

_It succeeded._

Vora fell to his knees, and looked at the blade.

_I've let my comrades die and killed one of them...slaughtered millions of innocent creatures...all for this..._

Tears cascaded down on his face as the full realization of what had happened hit him. He hadn't cried in thirty years. He remembered the time, ten years back, when he had been appointed the rank of Field Marshall, how he had vowed to use his abilities to achieve happiness and goodwill in the Covenant.

He had failed.

Slowly, he drew the blade across his wrist. The pain was strangely comforting. It helped distract him from the confusion raging in his skull.

_They grey demon wins in the end after all, _Vora mused, and then stabbed down.

The sword tore right through his palm, but he gritted his teeth, trying not to yell with pain. At the same time, he thought of the grey demon.

The grip of the handle tightened as he recalled that demon's blank face. Yes, it had indeed succeeded in driving Vora mad, its goal was complete. That infernal demon from the depths of Hell was certainly laughing now...

His hand was squeezing the sword handle like it was a sponge. For some reason he felt he needed to break something very badly, because he did feel a bit cheesed off...

The handle shattered, and the pieces of metal flew all over the place. The sword deactivated immediately. Ignoring the fresh stream of blood flowing from both hands, Vora stood up, and with all the breath he could summon, shouted to the heavens,

'You haven't won! Demon! You haven't! I'm not going to die. UNTIL I KILL YOU WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS!'

His voice echoed around the canyon, reaffirming his promise to his hated enemy. With a loud grunt, Vora trekked back towards the Phantom, determined to fulfil his new goal, which was, as of now, the only thing that mattered in his miserable life.


End file.
